Restoring the pride of agriculture
Mohammad Shahidul Islam | Monday, 26 May 2008
CLIMATE change is setting to trigger cyclones, droughts, heavy rains and floods in unpredicted places at unpredicted times round the world. Recently Myanmar has been the victim of climate change. This in turn keeps affecting food production. Consequently there is prevailing food shortage for the poor, the down-trodden and those who are affected by the wars of life and livelihood. So what is the way out to face climate change?
We, as a global neighbourhood, should continue to exist, share the new techniques to grow more food. Immediately what all the nations of the world should do is to strengthen economic links on a regional basis, assess the demand for, and supply of, essential food products in those regions and start moving towards producing more and more essential foods by encouraging youngsters to get interested in agriculture and food production.
There is an overwhelming imbalance between the specialisation of technology-based education and the agro-industry-based education. What the love of the land brings for food production has been erased with the large scale, extensive and mechanised farming methods. Together with this, small scale farming and the bond between the land and the man should be strengthened for better performance in food production.
The food that is produced in countries that have shortage thereof should be distributed within the country before the production is exported to elsewhere. There are instances and experiences of farmers going without enough rice and fishermen going without enough fish for their families because these are exported for the consumption of unknown people in unknown countries.
It is a tragic blunder that we failed to conserve our own important crops. Rice, estimated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to be the world's second most consumed food, is our staple diet. But potatoes and many other imported food items are also in demand now. The colonised local cuisine has been making things really difficult for the masses.
Rice is the staple food of Bangladesh and many Asian countries. Today a kilo of rice is priced between Taka 35 and Taka 46. Why can't our peasants then get a huge income as a big demand is there for rice in Bangladesh? So, immediate measures should be taken to give the pride of place to agriculture which helped Bangladesh become the granary of South Asia, especially in the golden era when Sayesta Khan ruled this beautiful country.
Though foreign employment, garments and telecommunications have become major sectors that contribute enormously to the economy of Bangladesh, the fact that agriculture was the backbone of our economy should not be forgotten or ignored.
There are many reasons why agriculture should get back its due place in Bangladesh. The first and foremost is that Bangladesh is ideally suitable for cultivation considering its geographical setting.
The country has got many places where different climatic conditions help crops such as paddy to grow luxuriantly. Secondly, we, Bangladeshis, have got the habit of consuming rice since time immemorial. The maxim, "A hungry man is an angry man," clearly points out that it is futile to talk about anything when a person is hungry. Development and prosperity are compelled to be kept on the back burner when a nation faces a crisis.
The whole world in general and the Asia in particular are inching towards famine. Therefore, it is high time meaningful steps were taken to make this country self sufficient in food which is one of the basic needs of the human beings.
The programme like "Let us grow crops to develop Bangladesh" should be implemented right away and should get the full support of everyone. Competitions in the field of cultivation at village, thana and district level could be organised to encourage more participation of the general public. This will, indeed, help increase the food production in the country.
It is pertinent to know the real causes of this food crisis which has affected not only Bangladesh but also many nations in the world. Some of them are beyond our control while others can be controlled if all of us work collectively.
One of the biggest factors that contribute towards this crisis is fuel. The price of petroleum keeps on escalating. No country can confront this menace which holds back the development of the world. What we can do in this situation to cut wastage and use cheaper types of energy.
The writer is a Tourism Worker and may be reached at email:
[email protected]
We, as a global neighbourhood, should continue to exist, share the new techniques to grow more food. Immediately what all the nations of the world should do is to strengthen economic links on a regional basis, assess the demand for, and supply of, essential food products in those regions and start moving towards producing more and more essential foods by encouraging youngsters to get interested in agriculture and food production.
There is an overwhelming imbalance between the specialisation of technology-based education and the agro-industry-based education. What the love of the land brings for food production has been erased with the large scale, extensive and mechanised farming methods. Together with this, small scale farming and the bond between the land and the man should be strengthened for better performance in food production.
The food that is produced in countries that have shortage thereof should be distributed within the country before the production is exported to elsewhere. There are instances and experiences of farmers going without enough rice and fishermen going without enough fish for their families because these are exported for the consumption of unknown people in unknown countries.
It is a tragic blunder that we failed to conserve our own important crops. Rice, estimated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to be the world's second most consumed food, is our staple diet. But potatoes and many other imported food items are also in demand now. The colonised local cuisine has been making things really difficult for the masses.
Rice is the staple food of Bangladesh and many Asian countries. Today a kilo of rice is priced between Taka 35 and Taka 46. Why can't our peasants then get a huge income as a big demand is there for rice in Bangladesh? So, immediate measures should be taken to give the pride of place to agriculture which helped Bangladesh become the granary of South Asia, especially in the golden era when Sayesta Khan ruled this beautiful country.
Though foreign employment, garments and telecommunications have become major sectors that contribute enormously to the economy of Bangladesh, the fact that agriculture was the backbone of our economy should not be forgotten or ignored.
There are many reasons why agriculture should get back its due place in Bangladesh. The first and foremost is that Bangladesh is ideally suitable for cultivation considering its geographical setting.
The country has got many places where different climatic conditions help crops such as paddy to grow luxuriantly. Secondly, we, Bangladeshis, have got the habit of consuming rice since time immemorial. The maxim, "A hungry man is an angry man," clearly points out that it is futile to talk about anything when a person is hungry. Development and prosperity are compelled to be kept on the back burner when a nation faces a crisis.
The whole world in general and the Asia in particular are inching towards famine. Therefore, it is high time meaningful steps were taken to make this country self sufficient in food which is one of the basic needs of the human beings.
The programme like "Let us grow crops to develop Bangladesh" should be implemented right away and should get the full support of everyone. Competitions in the field of cultivation at village, thana and district level could be organised to encourage more participation of the general public. This will, indeed, help increase the food production in the country.
It is pertinent to know the real causes of this food crisis which has affected not only Bangladesh but also many nations in the world. Some of them are beyond our control while others can be controlled if all of us work collectively.
One of the biggest factors that contribute towards this crisis is fuel. The price of petroleum keeps on escalating. No country can confront this menace which holds back the development of the world. What we can do in this situation to cut wastage and use cheaper types of energy.
The writer is a Tourism Worker and may be reached at email:
[email protected]